Surviving And Thriving Blog

Instead of spending three days in the hospital - I was out in 3 hours! My back surgery last Friday went very well.

I had the surgery to remove a screw. This screw has been a pain in my a$$! Quite literally - pun intended! There’s about a dozen screws throughout my body. Two of them, have been particularly troublesome.

I’ve always been a relatively thin guy. A tall thin build becomes a painful problem with hardware. You have screws poking out without much cushion around them! My lower back lacks any form of cushion. This is also where two of my longest screws are!

An essential part of putting me back together, after my fall in 2013, was reattaching my pelvis. My pelvis and spine were separated upon my harsh impact on a rocky ridge. The orthopedic surgeon fastened my pelvis back to my spine with two long screws through my sacrum/iliac joint.

After I started walking, getting these two screws out was on my priority list - right next to flying again!

The screws were just painful. Brushing up against something, making my way through a crowd, or synching my belt a little too high, would max out my pain receptors!

I had one screw removed in 2014 in Arizona. My surgeon explained the significance of these screws and the consequences of premature removal. I was informed and a little frightened so I wanted to play it conservatively. He advised me to have the screws removed in separate surgeries spaced apart.

The most recent screw was removed in Idaho through the Boise VA. It went really well! This operation likely concludes my hardware removal. I get to keepthe rest of it and continue to show up at the airport extra early.

Through this, recovery from back surgery, I’ve had some great days. In addition to seeing my amazing mom, I’ve soaked up several unique and worthwhile experiences.

Yesterday, on a downtown rooftop, I met my good friend Lucas for a 6am sunrise yoga class. The practice started off outside in darkness. We started while the sun was still sleeping behind the mountains to the east and the air was filled with a fresh morning chill. I enjoyed this refreshing chill and being outside to witness the first rays of light over the horizon.

My recovery has been a long journey. A very long journey. There have been no shortage of surprises and twists in this organic and uncharted territory. After my last stay in the ICU, in June, following 2 intense grand-mal seizures, I regained consciousness in the hospital and made a decision.

It took a few minutes to come to terms with what was going on and the implications involved. Once I became fully aware what I was dealing with, I was also fully aware, that the situation “sucks”. I was set to start a fire assignment teaching fire classes in Oregon - in just a few days! Now what was I going to do?!?! After a few minutes of frustration I made a decision.

I decided, what I’ve experienced over the last two years has been painful, unfortunate, and detrimental. I would have preferred to never put myself, my family, and those close to me through so much. These things have happened. Although they’re terribly unfortunate, they at least make for an incredible story. In my hospital bed I decided I’m going to write a book.

I’ve already been working at it! There’s no shortage of material and I love to write! I’ve got a great title for it and my nerdy/techie skills set can do a lot to create and promote it.

I’ve created this website for the book, and plan to launch my Kickstarter Campaign, some time next month. Please stay tuned!…